We would like to take this opportunity to provide some general info on the sport of laser tag, as well as some useful tips and hints to consider, when planning a laser tag party/event for that special occasion – whether it be your child’s birthday party, that end of year team build or other special function.

Some General Laser Tag Info:

The concept of laser tag is not new and has in fact been around for many years – just about every person over the age of 8 in South Africa is familiar with laser quest – most have played at the laser quest arenas that were in most major centres up until a few years back. The concept is the same, except the landscape has changed dramatically and the look and feel of laser tag is so much more realistic. The emphasis is more on reality nowadays than the old historical STAR WARS theme. So no more need to play laser tag strictly indoors with flashing lights and body suites that vibrate, buzz and weigh you down. Nowadays the latest and best laser taggers on the market actually offer real life weapon replicas, with built in onboard gaming consoles and live game stats as the set up – awesome and as we said, GAMING MADE REAL!

The technology explosion over the last few decades has seen a vast improvement in the development and manufacturing of these laser tag units and there are some very good laser tag set ups in the market to choose from in today’s modern age.

SWAT Laser Tag chose very carefully and tested various laser tag set ups and products before deciding on the right laser tag set up for us. In June 2010, with 25 years of running a thriving paintball business as experience to back up our new venture, we opened our 1st branch in Durban and became the 1st South African laser tag operators to start specialising in outdoor and mobile laser tag events and parties. The Cape Town branch opened a few months later in August 2010. We have since seen excellent growth and now have experienced SWAT laser tag teams and offices in Cape Town, Durban, Gauteng, Midrand, Pretoria, Pietermaritzburg and Bloemfontein.

A Corporate Laser Tag Event receiving their introduction speech

We are currently working on some very exciting projects and have some awesome innovations in the pipeline to make the SWAT experience even more realistic and keep us at the forefront of the laser tag industry in South Africa. We expect to go live by year end with various other products that are definitely going to appeal to anyone who is looking for some hardcore, adrenaline filled action. This new laser tag innovation is aimed at the adult market and we have no doubts that this will score a 10/10 on the WOW card. Watch this space!

Our laser tag equipment has been a revelation over the last three years and we now have almost 200 laser tag units in service on most weekends across South Africa. The laser taggers have been put through the ultimate tests by rain, wind, sand, clay, mud and rough handling by kids and adults over hundreds of laser tag parties and events, and the laser tag guns have passed with flying colours every time. We are extremely happy with our business decision to make the initial investment at the outset and import a very good quality laser tag set up that was run and tested where the equipment was developed and assembled – the good old USA. We use equipment that is manufactured by the World’s Largest Paintball manufacturer – Tippmann Sports, based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. These guys are really on the ball and have been improving on their laser tag set ups every year since they launched this back in 2009. Their latest release is nothing short of astonishing and we will be introducing this new laser tag set up to the South African market during the course of this year. Be warned – this set up is as real as it gets and is definitely categorised as HECTIC! (NB: For the older ‘kids’ only – 18 and older – launching this year!)

The recent rise in popularity of laser tag parties and laser tag events has inevitably seen a big increase in the number of laser tag operators across South Africa. This all adds to one very positive fact: more choices for the customer which results in direct benefits for the customer/end user. Competition is healthy and ensures that there will always be good operators out there offering an awesome laser tag experience. Unfortunately we have heard of instances of misconduct where some laser tag operator did not pitch for the laser tag party, so please be sure to check the credentials of the laser tag operator you have made contact with and beware of imitations – a quick browse on Hello Peter is also a good resource when checking out service providers, restaurants and retailers etc.

Luckily this is more the exception than the rule but it is wise to do your homework before making a commitment to any one laser tag operator – after all you deserve a hassle free laser tag party on the day as getting to that point of the ‘big day’ can be stressful enough as it is. Ask relevant questions and know what you are in for on the day.

SWAT Laser Tag has been diligent to follow a specific code and company ethos to ensure that the customer always comes first and that any excuse is a poor excuse. With over 2500 laser tag parties and laser tag events behind us we can proudly say that we have a 100% clean sheet on attendance – we AIM to keep it that way! We have been late to some laser tag events a few times due to unforeseen circumstances but we believe rather late than never is a better end result than a no show at all.

We ensure that the same ethos is practiced at all our SWAT Laser Tag branches across South Africa and if we hear of any unethical business practices from any of our branches we will take immediate steps to resolve this and ensure it does not happen again. We believe that SWAT Laser Tag have the right teams and coaches in place to keep running enjoyable, successful SWAT Laser Tag events and laser tag parties, with key focus on good value for money and a top notch end user experience, facilitated by professional, friendly and happy SWAT Laser Tag crew members.

Some Useful Tips To Consider When Planning a Laser Tag Party:

As mentioned there are some good operators out there using good laser tag guns and laser tag set ups so investigate and ask relevant questions before committing to any one laser tag operator.

Things to consider:

range of the laser tag guns (realistically and in broad daylight on sunny days)
weight and size of the laser tag guns (important for the smaller kids)
availability of laser tag guns if a big group
look and feel of the laser tag guns
scoring capabilities of the laser tag guns
incremental weather issues: can the laser tag guns operate in the rain if you decide to go ahead and play in the rain on the day of the laser tag party/event
fun VS hardcore. (again depends on age of the players – with a quick Google search you will find an operator who can offer the laser tag experience you would prefer for that special occasion)
Suitability of the venue for the laser tag party/event: we always say bigger is better when it comes to venues, so plan for enough running space for the players on the day, with sufficient cover for the players to hide behind during those heated laser tag battles. Remember it is a gun fight not a sword fight so space is a key element when deciding on a venue.

Lastly, a good idea is to visit the websites of the laser tag operators and have a good look at the laser tag equipment/set up and laser tag services.

If you have made it to the end of this page we thank you for showing some interest in our world of laser tag. We are sure you will enjoy browsing through our website. If you have any queries that cannot be answered by us with the info provided on the website please contact your nearest SWAT Laser Tag team and let them guide you through the process of arranging that awesome laser tag experience.